The Simple Rules of Strategy Doing: Moving Collaborations to ActionWith Strategic Doing being conducted around the country, a set of simple rules is emerging to guide the process. Here are some steps to follow to implement Strategic Doing within a community. Ed MorrisonEM_5d727024-615f-11e8-9ece-cab3fa613715Economic Policy Advisor, Purdue Center for Regional DevelopmentPurdue Center for Regional DevelopmentCommunity Development PractitionersAs a form of community visioning, Strategic Doing provides a discipline that can help community development practitioners guide communities as they develop new strategies for development. CommunitiesCommunities are organized around networks, not hierarchies. Strategic Doing guides strategy across organizational and political boundaries to build action-oriented collaborations quickly. Traditional strategy practices emerged from large hierarchical, "command and control" corporations. A small group of people at the top of the organization did the thinking, while rest of the people did the doing. In our civic spaces, there are no hierarchies. Yet, we still need to do strategic thinking. Now, more than ever, we need to act strategically. So, how do we focus our limited resources where they are likely to have the largest positive impacts? Strategic Doing is designed to answer this question. Network MembersWith Strategic Doing, members of a network can generate a strategic action plan quickly: an evolving asset map of our opportunities; a handful of strategic outcomes; a set of project plans and action plans to chart a path to outcomes; and a process to keep moving forward by making adjustments, as circumstances change and we learn what works. Although it is still early in its development, the signs are encouraging. Strategic Doing provides a simple, intuitive discipline to stimulate innovation and move communities to the next level of prosperity. Communities move to the next level of prosperity_5d72716e-615f-11e8-9ece-cab3fa613715To establish a strategy discipline for loosely connected networks_5d727240-615f-11e8-9ece-cab3fa613715VisioningStrategic Doing can stand alone as a visioning practice, or practitioners can use elements of the discipline in their own visioning process. While practitioners have used visioning as a process of community development for about two decades, no single framework has evolved to dominate the field. Indeed, one of the strengths of visioning may be that no strict dogma applies.ExperimentationPractitioners are free to innovate, to experiment with different approaches and adapt what works.Strategic Doing emerges from this spirit of experimentation and adaptation. It relies on proven practices of Asset Based Community Development, Appreciative Inquiry and open source software development (Kretzmann, J.P. & McKnight, J.L. 1993; Coopperrider, D.L. & Whitney, D. 2001; Goldman, R. & Gabriel, R. P. 2005). It integrates these insights with a set of simple rules to follow (Eisenhardt, K., & Sull, D. 2001).AdaptationFlexibilityMost important, perhaps, Strategic Doing is flexible, adaptive and low cost.ActionPractitioners can make meaningful progress in translating ideas into action in as little as two to three hours. DisciplineThe discipline of Strategic Doing for community development rests on a set of core principles:NetworksCommunities -- and their economies -- represent networks embedded in othernetworks.ProsperityProsperity emerges from the mix of three flows of money circulating through these networks in a community.InnovationInnovation can shift the mix of these three flows of money.ProductsInnovation drives prosperity by converting ideas into valuable and sustainableproducts, services and experiences.ServicesExperiencesOpennessInnovation can emerge quickly from open networks of focused collaboration.CollaborationLinkagesNetworks innovate by linking and leveraging shared assets and defining newopportunities where these assets connect.LeverageExponential OpportunitiesAs network members connect more assets, opportunities increase exponentially.Simple RulesStrategy in open networks to pursue these opportunities emerges from following simple rules.Appreciative QuestioningLeaders guide networks strategically by guiding conversations with appreciativequestions.ParticipationStrategy in open networks balances open participation with leadership direction.Balanced DirectionSpacesEstablish civic spaces for complex thinking and doing._5d7273b2-615f-11e8-9ece-cab3fa6137151Strategic Doing does not work without safe, stable civic spaces.ForumsConduct regular civic forums._5d727484-615f-11e8-9ece-cab3fa6137151.1The best way to start establishing these spaces involves conducting regular civic forums...These civic gatherings can be organized around the first question of Strategic Doing: "What could we do?" Regular civic forums focus on identifying and connecting assets within the community. So, for example, a community could explore the question, "What could we do to expand the market for local foods?" The people drawn to this conversation will form the core of a new network focused on building local food initiatives in the community.CivilityEstablish expectations of civility_5d727556-615f-11e8-9ece-cab3fa6137151.2By establishing clear expectations of civility and guiding the conversation with strategic questions, a community can model the behavior that will lead to new innovative, collaborative initiatives.NetworksUncover emerging networks with the energy to innovate._5d72765a-615f-11e8-9ece-cab3fa6137151.3Conducting regular civic forums is a low cost way to uncover emerging networks with the energy to innovate. QuestionsGuide conversations with appreciative questions._5d727736-615f-11e8-9ece-cab3fa6137152LeadersInitially, the responsibility for guiding conversations falls to an individual. However, the healthiest leadership within an open network is widely distributed throughout the group.Leaders can guide networks by asking appreciative questions. These questions focus on opportunities, not deficits: what they can do, not what they cannot do. Through these questions, members of a network start to see new patterns and new possibilities. As we have seen, opportunities emerge when network members start connecting their assets.ConnectionsAsk questions that point to new connections._5d7277fe-615f-11e8-9ece-cab3fa6137152.1In the most dynamic networks, asking questions that point to new connections emerges as a collective responsibility. OpportunitiesLink and leverage assets to define opportunities._5d7278da-615f-11e8-9ece-cab3fa6137153As network members connect more assets within a network, their opportunities become more pragmatic and achievable.ThinkingEncourage members of the network to stretch their thinking._5d7279b6-615f-11e8-9ece-cab3fa6137153.1The challenge at this stage of a strategic conversation involves getting members of the network to stretch their thinking.AssetsAdd assets to opportunities._5d727a92-615f-11e8-9ece-cab3fa6137153.2As people add assets to a promising opportunity, a new dimension of that opportunity becomes clearer.Alignment, Linkages & LeverageAlign, link and leverage assets._5d727b8c-615f-11e8-9ece-cab3fa6137153.3More emotional energy emerges behind the opportunity, as members of the network grapple to align, link and leverage their assets.ExplorationExplore new opportunities from new connections._5d727c72-615f-11e8-9ece-cab3fa6137153.4In communities with no clear vision, Strategic Doing focuses initially on exploring new opportunities from new connections. Defining a collective vision is an extremely complex and difficult challenge. For people with little or no experience working together, the task is a steep hill to climb as a first step. For these communities, Strategic Doing focuses on discovering opportunities as a way to get started. These opportunities -- when taken together over time -- can give rise to a collective vision.VisionDevelop a "placeholder" vision and revise it based upon experience. _5d727d58-615f-11e8-9ece-cab3fa6137153.5For communities that have a vision statement, Strategic Doing focuses on converting this vision into action. The four key questions walk members of a network through this process of converting visions to opportunities; opportunities to outcomes; and outcomes to project and action plans, all tied together with a commitment to continuous learning.The real work of Strategic Doing -- and where most networks experience difficulty -- comes in moving from opportunities to outcomes, projects and action plans. As people gain experience translating their ideas into action, the job of coming up with a collective vision becomes easier. So, some networks develop a "placeholder" vision to start and revise their vision as they gain more experience working together. OutcomesConvert opportunities to clear, measurable outcomes._5d727e48-615f-11e8-9ece-cab3fa6137154The most challenging stage of Strategic Doing comes in converting opportunities into strategic outcomes.DetailsFocus thinking and move conversations from big ideas down to concrete, measurable details._5d727f38-615f-11e8-9ece-cab3fa6137154.1To do this step well, members of the network must focus their thinking and move their conversations from big ideas down to concrete, measurable details.MetricsAgree on metrics._5d728032-615f-11e8-9ece-cab3fa6137154.2Sufficient clarity on an individual characteristic emerges when people can agree on how to measure it. If the characteristic is too vague to measure, it is best to go back to the characteristic and clarify the thinking.Getting really clear about outcomes is not easy. Network members struggle to explain what success looks like and how measure it. Yet, that level of detail, rather than pushing people apart, actually pulls them together. The reason: The outcomes on which they can agree are complex and composed of many different dimensions. They are not dealing with simple either/or choices. Instead, they are creating an outcome with different perspectives, different dimensions and nuances. Many people find excitement in this complex work of civic creativity and construction. StepsConnect your outcomes to small, shared next steps._5d7281a4-615f-11e8-9ece-cab3fa6137155An effective strategy connects big ideas to small steps.Projects & MilestonesDevelop project plans with a handful of milestones._5d728294-615f-11e8-9ece-cab3fa6137155.1The key to execution comes in developing project plans with a handful of milestones and action plans. A project, combined with an action plan, draws the logical links from where members of a network are to where they want to be.Workload & ResponsibilityDistribute the workload and make sure that the responsibility for execution is widely shared._5d728384-615f-11e8-9ece-cab3fa6137155.2Transparent project and action plans have other advantages. They help distribute the workload and make sure that the responsibility for execution is widely shared. Transparency and shared responsibility improves the probability that something will actually get done.CommitmentsClearly document the next steps each person will be taking._5d728492-615f-11e8-9ece-cab3fa6137155.3Before a network adjourns from a Strategic Doing workshop, all members of the network should have a clear idea of the next steps that each person will be taking. By agreeing to take even a small step -- making an e-mail introduction, for example -- members of the network endorse their action plan. ExperimentationExperiment continuously with pilot projects._5d728582-615f-11e8-9ece-cab3fa6137156Community development is all about co-investment. Diverse parties come together and make investments of time and resources to achieve transformative outcomes. The future is unknowable, so members of a network must experiment to figure out what works.Pilot ProjectsImplement pilot projects._5d728686-615f-11e8-9ece-cab3fa6137156.1Implementing pilot projects creates an environment in which they can learn from each other, refine their strategies, and then move to the next level with more confidence. PersistencePress on regardless._5d728794-615f-11e8-9ece-cab3fa6137157Strategy in open networks is never done.Learning, Refinement & ExecutionContinuously learn and refine and execute plans._5d7288ac-615f-11e8-9ece-cab3fa6137157.1It involves a continuous process of refinement, learning and execution.Objections & ObstaclesOvercome objections and obstacles._5d7289c4-615f-11e8-9ece-cab3fa6137157.2Overcoming objections and obstacles is all part of the process.MomentumKeep the network moving._5d728ae6-615f-11e8-9ece-cab3fa6137157.3Network approaches to community development can bewilder some and threaten others. The best way to address healthy skepticism or unhealthy threats is to keep the network moving: focused on the four strategic questions that shape strategy.Networks continue to evolve, as members strengthen and focus them. They are building social capital as they go. Rather than being a painful process, strategy in community development becomes a process that is continuous, purposeful and -- above all -- fun.Participants connect, learn, encourage and celebrate. ConnectionConnect_5d728be0-615f-11e8-9ece-cab3fa6137157.3.1LearningLearn_5d728ce4-615f-11e8-9ece-cab3fa6137157.3.2EncouragementEncourage_5d728df2-615f-11e8-9ece-cab3fa6137157.3.3CelebrationCelebrate_5d728ef6-615f-11e8-9ece-cab3fa6137157.3.42012-12-312018-05-27https://pcrd.purdue.edu/files/media/An-Introduction-to-Strategic-Doing-for-Community-Development.pdfOwenAmburOwen.Ambur@verizon.net